Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

The 2025 Conference entitled 'Chronobiology: from the Cell to Medicine and Society' will take place at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) from May 25 to May 27. This conference will be entirely designed to increase the development and reinforce the training of students, health professionals, researchers, and actors from the industry, as well as to contribute to public education in the multiple dimensions related to chronobiology. Biological rhythms have implications for many areas of medicine, industry, policy making and governance since nearly all cells of living organisms (from unicellular to mammals) have internal clocks. The vital importance of biological rhythmicity, and particularly of circadian rhythms comprising sleep, is underscore by the 2017 Nobel Prize of Physiology or Medicine awarded to the chronobiologists who first identify molecular components of the circadian clock and by the recognition of sleep as a public health priority. Current research in chronobiology has among priorities to identify how irregular or disturbed circadian rhythms can increase the risk of developing various diseases, notably psychiatric and neurological disorders, and also how improving circadian rhythms can promote health and even prevent disease onset. The conference will bring together speakers and participants with a diversity of expertise and aim for having strong professional development and mentorship activities, together with initiatives to reach out to media, clinical staff, general public and industry. It will encourage a required dialog and collaborations between experts in chronobiology and in other health sciences, which will be importantly facilitated within the CHUM environment. Partners have already been secured for the organization of the conference (e.g., Canadian Society for Chronobiology, Quebec Sleep Research Network, CHUM), and the contribution of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will be crucial in cementing its success.